Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
And her lips-
Those soft, pink lips were slightly pursed in sleep. Mesmerized, he reached out without thinking, letting the pad of his callused fingertip brush against them.
Softer than he’d imagined. Dangerously soft.
The kind of softness that made man want to kiss her.
It was their first time meeting in person, and clearly, she wasn’t ready to accept him-not like that. He knew he shouldn’t overstep.
But her lips were so irresistibly plush, his fingertip felt glued to them. He couldn’t bring himself to pull away.
In fact, not only did he not move away, his fingers pressed down slightly, coaxing her lips into an even fuller curve, like a ripe blossom blooming right beneath his touch.
His usually pale face flushed with color.
Lily was deep in a dream when she felt something tickling her lips. It itched.
Frowning in her sleep, she shifted slightly, but the itch persisted.
She figured a caterpillar or some other bug had landed on her mouth. Without thinking, she swatted at it.
Her eyes were still shut, and she missed James’ hand completely-smacking him across the face instead.
“Leila…”
James froze.
He hadn’t expected to get slapped.
But as the sting settled in, he realized he probably deserved it.
Touching her lips without permission-what kind of creep did that make him?
Lily stirred at the sound of his voice.
Her hazy mind started piecing together what had just happened. Whatever she’d hit hadn’t felt like a bug- it had felt suspiciously like a human face.
Had she just slapped James?
The idea jolted her awake. Her eyes flew open.
And there he was-his face incredibly close-and on his left cheek, a visible red mark.
Oh god. She had absolutely smacked him. Right in the face.
She’d hit John and Simon plenty of times before, and never felt an ounce of guilt. They deserved it.
But James? James had been nothing but kind to her. She felt like she’d just committed a serious offense.
Like a guilty schoolgirl, she hung her head so low her chin nearly touched her chest.
She sat up, scooted away from him, and stammered in a tiny voice, “Elias, I… I didn’t mean to hit you just now. I thought something was on my lips. Like a bug or something. I didn’t know you were right there…”
“Mm.”
He gave a quiet response, clearly a little uncomfortable himself.
He didn’t bring it up again. Instead, his voice turned gentle.
“I grilled some skewers and eggplant. Try them and let me know what you think.”
He’d made eggplant?
Her favorite!
She hadn’t had time for breakfast that morning, and the thought of grilled eggplant had her mouth watering.
Her stomach growled in agreement-loudly and repeatedly.
He glanced at her as the rumbles continued, and her face flushed deeper with each passing second.
He noticed the red creeping across her face and, oddly, found it… festive.
Black and red together. So ugly, and yet so cheerful.
His features softened further. He reached out and took her hand. “Let’s eat.”
Tue, 22 JUI
Ashton really had prepared everything. There was a nearby water line, and he’d even arranged for a makeshift sink so they could wash up.
James had already cleaned his hands before coming to the tent. There was no greasy barbecue smell-just a light, clean scent of soap.
Holding her hand now, that subtle fragrance drifted into Lily’s nose, sweet and intoxicating. She didn’t even think to pull away.
By the time she snapped out of it, he’d already led her to the grill.
“Leila, grilled eggplant.”
He lightly reheated a few skewers of eggplant, then placed them in her hands.
The smell alone was enough to make her dizzy with hunger.
She took a bite. The savory flavor of cumin, roasted sesame, and sauce burst across her tongue.
It was so good, she almost bit her own tongue by accident.
She honestly hadn’t expected it-this cold, aloof CEO actually knew how to cook?
And he was good at it.
No exaggeration-if he set up a stall during the summer night market, he’d be making a killing.
“Leila, how’s the taste?”
James had always been a quick learner.
Before meeting her in person, he had eve few top chefs. spent an entire afternoon learning barbecue techniques from a
He thought his skills weren’t bad-but whe standing in front of someone he liked, even a confident man could become uncertain and cautious. He was nervous that his cooking might not suit her palate.
“It’s really good.”
Lily had no intention of getting any more entangled with him, but tasting the grilled eggplant he’d made just for her, and seeing the warmth and anticipation in his eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything cold or dismissive..
Maybe it was just the heat from the grill, but after hearing her praise, James’ ears turned red in an instant.
He didn’t say another word. Once the eggplant was done, he grilled skewers. After the skewers, fish. After the fish, shrimp…
Every time he finished a batch, he couldn’t help but bring them over to her.
It became a routine he never seemed to tire of.
“Elias, I really can’t eat another bite. I’m gonna explode.”
Seeing him approaching again with two unfamiliar-looking fish skewers, Lily quickly waved him off. “You eat. My stomach’s already round.”
James had been worried she hadn’t eaten enough.
But when he saw the way she scrunched up her little face, rubbing her belly with a pitiful look, he finally relented and set the skewers aside. Instead, he took out a few bottles of fruit wine and placed them in front of her.
“Leila, didn’t you say you used to love cherry wine when you were a kid?”
“I had a winemaker brew a few batches for you. Try it and tell me how it tastes.”
Lily really did love fruit wine.
Her grandpa had been a master brewer. He used to tell her kids weren’t allowed to drink-but whenever he drank, she’d eye his cup like a little greedy cat.
Eventually, unable to bear it, he picked cherries from the orchard and made her a batch of sweet, gentle wine.
His wine never got her drunk. It tasted even better than juice.
Every year when cherry season came, she’d stay at his house for a few days just to beg him for more.
But then Grandpa passed. And not long after, her parents were gone too. She hadn’t had a drop since.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.